I greet you and greet you in the name of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, and His Eminence Dimitri, Metropolitan of the dioceses of Batumi and Lazeti, America and Canada. ”Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!” Amen!
,”Glory to God for everything” These words appeared to St. John Chrysostom in the last moments of his earthly life… And today, we, believing Christians, repeat these words with gratitude: Glory and thanks to God for everything!!! For He loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinner, for He is the strength of the strong and the power of the weak, the helper of widows and orphans and the patron of the abandoned, for His mercy is added to His justice — “For His mercy is great above the heavens, and His truth reaches to the clouds,” for His goodness and mercy are innumerable and inexhaustible. Glory! And thanks to God! For His great deeds and for everything that He has brought upon us sinners!!!
The opening of the Georgian Church in California is another great blessing and mercy from God… Hopefully, we will soon have our own church here and we will be given the opportunity to pray and offer sacrifices in our own Georgian language for the salvation of our souls, for the well-being and unity of Georgia. ……All languages are holy in which the word of God has been heard. The Georgian language, to put it modestly, is among them. The unity of the nation is hidden in every language, each language is the bearer of the spiritual power of its nation… And with this unity and power, the prayers and supplications of the believing nation reach the throne of God. St. John Zosimas, centuries ago, saw and felt the mysterious power, goodness and vitality of the Georgian language… The secret of its survival is hidden and inexplicable to us today, but internally we seem to feel it, ”… and this language, adorned and blessed by the name of the Lord, humble and despised, awaits the day of the Lord’s second coming”… The language here means the nation… and by humble and despised, the desolation and burden of our nation… (let us remember the words of the Savior)… Yes, we are desolated by trials and labor, and we are burdened… by our sins…
Perhaps it is no coincidence that in today's Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus Christ once again reminded us of the nine Beatitudes and comforted us...
Truly, our nation is endowed with the nine beatitudes, poor in spirit and mourning, seeking righteousness and peace, seeking God's mercy and grace, persecuted and rebuked... and at the same time, a bearer of joy and love...
Who can count how many hardships our nation has gone through…!? But it never lost hope in God, it always found salvation in the church and with God…and this is still true today…
We cannot exist without God… and this is confirmed by our gathering and unity here in this foreignness.
The Church was, is and will be the unifying, strengthening and life-giving force of the nation. In the bosom of the Church, all Georgians stand bowed before God, there is no dispute, anxiety and disagreement here, this is the case when truth is not born in dispute, but in humble hearts, in silence and in love for one another… What is ecclesiasticism? Ecclesiasticism is both an external and an internal way of life… and requires a certain effort from us. With the next reading of today's Gospel, the Lord reminds us that the spirit of insensitivity, laziness and carelessness towards God's commandments that has settled in us is driven out by prayer and fasting – word and deed. If someone does not have enough faith to pray and fast, the Lord also teaches us through the Gospel a way to strengthen our faith: to say, ”With tears: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” … … …
May the Lord help us who are in exile... Amen!
May the Lord help us who are in need... Amen!
And may He protect us and keep us from evil all the days of our lives… Amen!!!
„The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.“ Amen!
Amen!!!
God is with us!!!
With Christlike love, Priest-Nun John.
Los Angeles, Fullerton, 4th Sunday of Lent, March 29, 2009.
